Can't Catch Them All
by Caz Malfoy
Summary: Tim hated that there was nothing he could do to make her pay.


_Disclaimer: I don't own CSI:Miami. BJJones owns Sylum Clan._

Author's note: This is set in BJJone's Sylum Universe. For the link visit my profile. Thanks to Bev and White for feeding me this bunny. This is dedicated to my wonderful for all the help. This is set during the episode "Blood Moon".

Can't Catch Them All

_London October 1906 _

There was a definite chill in the air. Winter was swiftly approaching and the temperature was already beginning to drop. The sun had long since set and day had been swiftly replaced by the night. As the night arose so did the children of the night; hookers, pimps and drug dealers, each looking for their next customer and victim.

Not many would walk the streets after sunset for fear of their life. No one would think twice about strolling up to a complete stranger and offering them their services. And if their offers were rejected the stranger would pay with his life, no doubt about that.

A dark figure walking down the boulevard turned very few heads. It wasn't the first time that he'd been spotted alone on such a dark evening. But no one had ever dared approach him. There may have been dozens of toxins coursing through their blood, but everyone around could see a powerful figure when one passed by them.

Everything about this dark figure screamed power and strength. His hands were buried deep in the pockets of his knee length coat, it's collar pulled up against the cold wind that blew through the streets. His head was bent low, his dark eyes firmly set on the ground in front of him as he manoeuvred in and out of the people around him.

His gaze only shifted when someone wearing high-heeled boots blocked his path. His eyes travelled up the new comer's legs and torso, before stopping on her painted face that was framed with light brown, almost blonde, hair.

"Is there something I can help you with, miss?" he asked with all the politeness one would expect from an educated gentleman.

The woman stepped forward. "Maybe there's something I can help _you _with," she answered, cupping him with the palm of her hand.

The gentleman stepped back, away from her touch. "I'm not interested," he told her, sidestepping her and continuing down the street.

"Come on," the woman drawled, a small sneer on her face as she followed the man. "You can't tell me that you don't want this!" She pushed her chest upwards in an attempt to tease the man with tantalising flashes of her cleavage.

The man's gaze fixed on her face, never moving below her neckline. "Look, miss," he spoke in the same level voice. "I know you think that I should want you, but I'm really not interested. Good night," he added as he moved around her and continued walking once more.

"Oh, I get it," she called after him. "There are some pretty boys around here you wouldn't say no to eh, you poof."

The man span around and glared at her, his eyes flashing dangerously. "I said that I am not interested," he repeated through gritted teeth. "I suggest you take the hint and leave."

The woman stared at him, holding her ground defiantly, until a drunken young man took her by the arm. "Give y' a shilling for a shag, bitch," he muttered in her ear.

"Sod off! Can't you see that we are having a conversation here?" the woman snapped, wrenching her arm out of the newcomer's grip and shoving him away.

"This conversation's over," the dark stranger told her, pulling his hand out of his pocket.

For a moment she thought he was going to pull out a knife, after all it wouldn't be the first time a customer had threatened her, but to her surprise in his hand were several coins.

"Here," he said, calmly throwing the coins down on the ground. "For your efforts," he added.

She looked down at the coins in disgust. "I can get more than a few shillings from the priest in the church down the road," she spat.

"Then I suggest that you pay him a visit. Now, if you'll excuse me." The man turned his back on her once more and continued walking briskly down the street, his long coat billowing behind him in the wind.

_Miami February 2004 _

The computer seemed to take hours to find a match to the car that they were looking for. Surely it couldn't be that difficult for a piece of technology that was so sophisticated to find who the car belonged to.

Eventually, after what felt like an eternity to Tim Speedle, the computer beeped at him. Informing the vampire that it had found a match to his licence plate – just as Calleigh joined him.

"How are you doing with the car?" Calleigh asked, her southern accent full with determination.

"Calleigh, meet Melanie Hines. The owner of our mystery car," Tim replied.

"Let me see," Calleigh beamed, watching intently as Tim clicked on Melanie Hine's DMV photograph.

The second that the picture appeared on the screen Tim was whisked back in time. He could swear that he knew the woman in the photograph from somewhere. His brain was mentally trying to run through his memories of the people he had met. Unfortunately that was a lot of time to span and before he could get to within the last hundred years, Calleigh waved a hand in front of Tim's face.

Tim blinked and shook his head, turning to face Calleigh. "Sorry," he apologised, momentarily pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind as he pulled up her information.

"Maybe we should have a little chat with Miss Hines," Calleigh grinned, grabbing a notepad and jotting down Melanie's address.

x

She had no heartbeat. That was the first thing that Tim noticed as he stepped into the interrogation room. Calleigh had headed out to the DA's office to get a warrant for Melanie's car.

The woman sat at the table definitely was not a member of Sylum, that much he knew straightaway. Tim sat down in the chair opposite her and silently placed the file down on the table in front of him.

Neither vampire spoke as they stared at each other, silently surveying the other.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Melanie spoke eventually.

"Should I?" Tim challenged.

Melanie rolled her eyes. "It's amazing how quickly people forget… you poof," she spat.

Tim eye's darkened with recognition as he remembered a night and a proposition almost one hundred years before. "You weren't one of us then," he commented.

"How clever of you," she sneered.

"Who the hell would lower themselves to turn someone as worthless as you?" Tim asked quietly, his voice level as he tried to keep his true inner nature firmly beneath the surface.

Melanie smirked and leant forward, her elbows resting on the table in between them. "I believe you've met him before. I know that he certainly remembers the man who killed him."

Tim leant back, his dark eyes boring into hers, trying to work his mind around what she was saying. After a few moments of silence the light dawned in his eyes and he growled lightly. "Tavington," he stated, causing Melanie to laugh. "You may think that just because there are rules I have to follow, that you've gotten away with this, but-,"

Melanie smirked. "That's why I don't like Clan's. Too restrictive."

Tim stared at her in silence for a while before he rolled his eyes. There was a knock on the window and Tim looked up to Calleigh standing on the other side of the window.

The blonde grinned and waved a piece of paper in the air. Tim nodded and turned back to Melanie. "That's our authority to search your car," he informed her. "This isn't over. We'll be seeing each other again."

Melanie smirked, leaning back in her chair. "I look forward to it." She winked suggestively at the CSI as he got to his feet.

Tim glared and left the room. "Please tell me that really is our warrant." Tim was pretty sure that he was on the verge of begging with the blonde.

"It is," Calleigh grinned, handing Tim the paper. "The car's already waiting in the CSI garage," she added.

"Good," Tim growled, tossing one last look back over his shoulder. "The sooner that we prove she did this, the better."

x

Tim could believe that he had to sit there and listen to her flat out lie to Calleigh. Tim knew that Melanie was lying; Melanie knew that she was lying; hell, even Calleigh knew that she was lying.

But unfortunately the rules said that when the evidence was unequivocal, they had to believe the only witness.

And then to make things worse, her gun really _did _have a hair trigger. Then Calleigh just had to tell him that the prosecutor didn't think they had a strong case and wasn't going to file charges against her.

He growled low in his throat and pushed the down button for elevator. The doors opened, revealing Melanie on the other side.

Tim rolled his eyes and tossed a glance over his shoulder, ensuring that there was no one within earshot. "That was a very strong performance. You should be an actress, not one of Tavington's whores."

Melanie rolled her eyes. "Lobby or garage?" she drawled, moving over to the buttons.

"I'll catch the next one," Tim sneered.

"I hope so," Melanie smirked, pressing the button for the lobby.

Just as the doors started to close, Tim reached out and pressed his hand against the metal. "You know, you killed an innocent man who did nothing wrong to you."

"He insulted me," Melanie argued.

"Maybe he was trying to make conversation," Tim suggested. "Although why anyone would want to make conversation with a bitch like you, is a mystery to me."

"Well, maybe you're not as smart as people give you credit for," Melanie retorted.

"Just try saying no next time," Tim sighed. "Hurt anyone in Miami again and no DA will be able to protect you."

Melanie stared at him as Tim moved his hand, releasing the door and allowing them close.

Tim stared at the closed doors for a long moment before sticking his hands in his pockets and walking towards the stairwell. He couldn't believe that he had been forced to let her walk. Everything about her was screaming murderer and there was nothing he could do about it as a CSI and nothing he could do about it as a vampire.

He couldn't freely go after her as she wasn't affiliated with any particular clan and he didn't have enough to warrant a request from The Council for him to execute her.

She hadn't affected anyone in Sylum Clan, or a chosen one, the only thing she had done was infuriate the clan's advisor.

"Speed?" Horatio's voice asked, just as Tim got to the stairwell. "Everything okay?" he asked, stepping closer to Tim.

Tim stopped and turned to face Horatio, the redhead's very presence soothing Tim's emotions and anger – whether Horatio realised it or not. "I'm fine, H," he said softly. "Just the case, you know?"

Horatio nodded his head understandingly. "I read your report. You can't catch them all of the time, Tim," he reminded the scruffy looking CSI.

Tim lowered his gaze to the floor. "I know," he whispered. "I just wish that there was more I could do." He figured that he wasn't lying to the redhead about him wanting to do more to get her.

Horatio smiled and patted Tim on the shoulder comfortingly. "Get some rest, you did good despite everything."

Tim's eyes followed Horatio to the elevator and he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face when the redhead placed his hands on his hips as he waited for the elevator to come.

Despite his previous annoyance, Tim found that he was still smiling to himself as he pushed the door open and heading down to the parking lot.

XxX


End file.
